Digital Accessibility Community of Practice (DACoP)
The DACoP is a welcoming, inclusive space for people across Aotearoa New Zealand to connect, share, and learn about making digital experiences more accessible.
2026 DACoP meeting dates
Future presentations
2026: Reframing accessibility: tools to change pushback into support
Daniela Lopez from AKQA will give a practical session about how to approach accessibility and inclusion especially when there is pushback from people who don't understand why it's important.
2026
A human-centred and practical approach to a website uplift
What does it take to uplift a large public sector website in a way that is human-centred and practical to deliver?
Sayydah Penn from NZTA will look at the NZTA Website Refresh Project, covering the end-to-end journey and the team’s customer-focused approach to discovery, design, accessibility, content, and usability testing that contributed to the project’s success.
Sayydah Penn (sai-eee-da) is the Design Chapter Lead at NZTA. She has spent nearly a decade working across government, embedding the value of human-centred design in digital delivery.
Understanding EN 301 549
Jason Kiss from the Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA) will talk about EN 301 549, the European Union (EU) accessibility standard. This standard will be the foundation of the new digital accessibility standard that will come out in February 2027.
Previous presentations
: Lightning talks
Maia Miller shared her top 3 audit checks explaining what to test first.
Benni Eustace demonstrated Voice Control on IOS and Voice Assistant on Android.
Daniela Lopez discussed the process of becoming accessibility certified through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.
Katherine Barcham demonstrated using speech recognition software as an assistive technology.
: Using AI to improve accessibility
Whaikaha-Ministry of Disabled People run the programme for providing all-of-government information in alternate formats including audio, Braille, Easy Read, large print and NZSL.
Jasmine Lindsay, Manager of Operations and Delivery at Whaikaha discussed how AI is being piloted to improve document accessibility and support kaimahi to create clearer, plain-language information. She shared the Whaikaha AI journey so far, looked closely at the document accessibility pilot, and reflected on what's shown promise, what's been challenging, and what others might take forward in their own work.
: UI design systems for digital delivery
Peter Koenders from Ministry of Social Development (MSD) explored how a UI design system provides a shared foundation for consistent, accessible digital delivery. He discussed what a design system is (and is not), how it supports teams working at scale, accessibility by design, measurable outcomes, and the role of governance, contribution, and continuous improvement.
2026
What resonates when introducing accessibility? Reflections from 2 design lecturers
Drs Catherine Cauldwell and Gillian McCarthy discussed how arguments for greater accessibility awareness resonate with students, and where the students see opportunities to make improvements in their own workplaces.
2026
Dr Claire Bretherton from Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People shared their recent experience accessible surveys for consulting with disabled people.
2026
Katherine Barcham from the Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA) talked about:
how hidden disabilities can affect how our audience understands or interacts with our content
what you can do to make your writing stand up to the test.
2026
Digital accessibility coaching: a practical experience
Chandra Harrison from Access Advisors talked about her experience mentoring a group of 4 Victoria University students participating in the Masters UX Design Capstone project.
The goal was to give them hands-on experience with digital accessibility — evaluating real not-for-profit websites, identifying issues, and designing improvements using best practice guidelines.
2026
Free accessibility tools and how to use them
Maia Miller from Aleph Accessibility explored a range of free tools that fit into each part of the development lifecycle. These can help you check, improve and maintain accessibility in your digital products.
2025 Presentations
November - Getting accessibility ready for a design system (Intopia)
October – Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People: Accessibility Charter, alternate formats, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy
September – Gaining senior stakeholder engagement (Catalyst)
August – Research insights from the Digital Accessibility Standard (Katherine Barcham, Web Standards team)
July – Basic accessibility testing (Ministry of Social Development (MSD))
June – Accessibility in large-scale web development (Department of Conservation)
May – Accessible documents and training for screen reader users (Wellington City Council and MSD)
April – EN 301 549 demystified (Jason Kiss, Web Standards team)
March – Structured accessibility audits (MSD)
February – DACoP welcome and updates (Web Standards team)
What DACoP is about
DACoP brings together people from the public and private sectors who care about digital accessibility. Each month there are presentations and discussions that explore practical solutions, share lessons learned, and highlight different approaches to accessibility.
It’s a place to:
hear from others working in the field
ask questions — technical, theoretical, or practical
discover best practices and new resources
connect with a supportive network of peers.
Whether you're just starting out or have years of experience, DACoP is here to support your journey.
Join DACoP
To join the Digital Accessibility Community of Practice, email web.standards@gdda.govt.nz. You will get a link to the monthly Teams meetings and you will be added to the mailing list.
Who can join
DACoP is open to anyone with an interest in digital accessibility. You do not need to work for government and you do not need to be an expert — just be curious and keen to learn. The community includes designers, developers, policy advisors, testers, content creators and more.
Who runs DACoP
DACoP is hosted by the Web Standards team at the Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA). The team supports the work of the Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) by maintaining the NZ Government Web Standards and helping government agencies to meet them.
DACoP mailing list
DACoP members will receive 1 email a month including things like:
topics of interest from the community
upcoming presentations
recent accessibility guidance and resources
news or invitations to accessibility-related events
updates from the Web Standards team.
To opt out at any time, email web.standards@gdda.govt.nz. You’re still welcome to attend sessions even if you’re not on the mailing list.
Monthly sessions
DACoP meets online using Microsoft Teams on the last Thursday of each month, from 10am to 12pm. Attendance is free and you can come and go as you like, depending on your schedule.
Each session typically includes 1 or 2 presentations, followed by open discussion. The format is informal and supportive — perfect for asking questions and sharing ideas.
Sessions are not recorded
To foster open conversation, sessions are not recorded. We only record the organisations represented and the topics discussed.
